Railway-tie.



W. P. & S. G. THOMSON.

RAILWAY TIE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1907- Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I. THOMSON AND SAMUEL G. THOMSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TIE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM P. THOM- SON and SAMUEL G. THOMSON, residents of the city and county of Philadelphia, State wa ties. which are made u of metal and wooden members, and consists essentially of a tie having acentral and outer metal members with intermediate wooden members between the central and outer members at the rail bearings. This form of tie is particularly adapted to'those conditions of roadbed and traiiic which require vvery stiff and heavy rail bearings, and especially to those conditions which'require great vertical stiffness throughout the tie. This vertical stiffness can be secured by extending all three of the metallic members the full length of the tie under the rails. In those cases, however, where such great vertical stiffness is not required throughout the entire length of the tie, the central portions of one or' more of the metal members may be omitted,

without affecting the stiffness and-strength of the rail bearings. Aside from the greater stiffness imparted to the tiewhether it be throughout its length, or at the rail bearings only-the outer metal members, when combined with the central metal member and the intermediate wooden blocks, have the effect of providing a wider and better hearing surface for the rails than could be obtained either by wood or metal alone. The metal members, while presenting a greater metal surface to receive the shocks, transmit such shocks to the wooden members and thus preserve the elasticity of a wooden tie while protecting the wood, from. injury by the direct shocks; and by using outer members of the proper form the increased area of the metal surface to receive the direct shocks and the protection of the wooden blocks from such shocks may be/regulated to suit the engineering condltions and the character of the traflic. The construction also permits narrower wooden blocks to be used, to provide the desired-elasticity and eflicient spikinggl facilities,-than would otherwise be pos- S1 e.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a. railway tie embodying the invention and illustrating one of the forms with the Specification of Letters Patent.

AppIication filed. June 25, 1907.

Patented Aug. 4:, 1914.

Serial No. 380,648.

metal members of the sections shown in Fig.

4; Fig. 2 is a similar View illustrating another form with the metal members of the sections shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 8 is a similar view illustrating still another form with the comparatively shallow metal members of the sections shown in Fig. 8; and Figs. 4L, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are transverse sections of the tie at or adjacent to the rail bearing portion thereof, Figs. 4, 9 and 8 being taken respec-' tively on the lines A-A of Fig. 1, B-B

of Fig. 2 and CC of Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale.

a a a are the metal members of the tie, one or more of which is of a length suflicient to extend under bothrails; these members may be of any cross section, but we prefer to employ structural irons, the particular section employed depending on the character of the road-bed. and other engineering conditions. The central metal which, as shown, consistv of. wooden blocks secured between the central member a and the outer members a a at the rail bearings.

In the plan view shown in Fig. 1 each of the metal members a a a extends the whole length of the tie under the rails c c,

and said members are of unequal depths as shown' by the sections in Fig. 4. The wooden blocks or members are secured between the central member a and the outer members a a by any suitable means, as by bolts 0 as shown in Figs. 4,5 and 6, or by rivets 0 as shown in Figs. 7 8 and 9. In this particular form shown in Figs. 1 and I the central member a is an I bar and the outer members a a? are comparatively shallow angle irons, with their flanges 0? turned inward, the flange of the central member a and the flanges a of the outer members a a thus present and extended metal bearing surface for the railsc c and fully protect the wooden blocks 6 b from the directshocks and consequent wear. It will also be noted that these flanges extend over the outer portions of the wooden block, leaving the central portion only exposed to receive the conditions where an all wooden rail bearing is ,dQSlIed, but, even in such cases, 1t will benoted that the wood is confined on both sides I by metal and that there will be less danger v. ofsplitting the blocks by the spikes than,

would otherwise be the case. In any case narrower blocks may be employed for imparting elasticity and affording fastening facilities than wouldothe'rwise be possible. In the form shown in Figs. 2 and 9, the outer members a a extend from rail to rail and the central member shown as a flat plate-extends between the blocks 6 b under the rail bearings only. a

In the o ho n Figs. 3 and the central member a is a T bar extendingfrom rail to rail and the outer members af'a extend the length of the blocks '6 b onlyand have their flanges a turned outwardlyl h le We h v show S pa ate w eden blocks 5 extending under the rail bearings only, continuous'jwooden pieces extending from rail to rail may be employed, if desired, but ordinarily that is not desirable,

particularly in thoseconstructionsin which o. or ll o e m al em x end from rail to I rail as in v the constructions I shown in Figs. land 2, as in such cases the open space between the metal members forms 1 a pocket toreceive ballast or the material of} the road-bed.

It is important to note that the outer metallic members may be made shallower than the blocks in the manner shown in Figs. 43

and 8; thus a portion of the outer sides of the blocks may be exposed to the ballast of the road-bed to compensate for as much of f the bottom of the blocks as may be separated from the ballast by the bottom flanges of the central metallic member. This construction also greatly facilitates tamping under the rail bearing port-ions ofthe ties and renders the tie less liable to cut into the tamped road-bed than would be the case if sharp metallic edges were exposed to the roadbed. It is also particularly important to note that the metallic members which extend under one rail only may be so disposed with reference to the separating woodeni blocks that they will be the only metallic membersof the structure which bear against 1 the rails and that by keeping them and all clamping and fastening means entirely free from contact with the metallic member or members which extend under both rails,

complete insulation of one rail from the other is secured the use of comparatively shallow sections for the rail bearing members, which are insulated from each other, affords still further protection against electrical connection between these rail bearing members because their shallowness keeps them above such accumulated water or wet substance in the road-bed as would establish electrical connection between the rail bearing members.

lVhen we speak of the blocks or intermediate members between themetal. members a; a a as wooden members, it is to be understood that we mean to include a block or member composed of othersuitable material or compositionwhich may be used as a spiking or rail fastening member or as an elastic rail bearing.

For the purpose of holding-the wooden blocks more firmly in place thewe-b of one or more of the metallic members may be provided with spurs, projections or irregularities adapted to bite into-(or engage the faces of the blocks, as shown at c in Figs. t 'an What We claim is as follows: I a 1, A railway tie'having rail bearing portions consisting of a plurality of metallic members and interposed blockssecured to them, one of saidmetallic membersbetween two of said blocks extending a substantial distance below an outer metallic member, said outer metallic member having a lateral flange.

railway tie consisting of a central metallic member, blocks located on each side of said central member, outer metallic members fitting the, upright outer faces of said blocks, said central metallic member extending a substantial. distance below said outer metallic members, and means for holding said parts together. I v

3. 'A railway tie consisting of a central metallic member, blocks located on each side ofsaid central member at the rail bearings,

outer metallic I members, having lateral flanges, arrangedon the outer faces of said blocks and having their lowermost edges lying a substantial distance above the bottom of said blocks, and means" for holding said 3 parts together. 1

4;. A railway tie consisting of a. central metallic member, blocks located on each side of said central member at the rail bearings,

outer metallic members, having lateral flanges, arranged on the outer faces of said blocks and having their lowermost edges lying a substantial distance abovethe bottom face of said central member, and means for securing said parts "together.

5. A railway tie consisting of a central 'metallic member, blocks located on each side ofsaid central member at the rail bearings, outer metallic members standing entirely free from said central member and each outer member being less in height than is the outer face of the block against which it bears, one of said metallic members having a horizontal flange extending along its top.

6. A tie consisting of three metallic members at each end and one of-which extends under both rails, said members being entirely separated from each other by intervening blocks, one of said metallic members which bears on one side of one of said blocks being substantially less in depth than is the other of said metallic members which bears on the opposite side of the same block.

7. A tie having a plurality of metal plates spaced equidistant throughout their length with interposed blocks extending above them to form insulated rail bearings, one of said plates being of less depth than the interposed blocks and also of less depth than anrelatively deeper than the outer metallic members, and means for holding said parts together.

In testimony of which invention, we have hereunto set our hands.

W. P. THOMSON. S. G. THOMSON.

Witnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, R. M. KELLY.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0." 

